Valve apparatus and method
OwnerDavid A. Buckinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In the specification and drawings a valve is described and shown with a lower valve seat; an upper valve seat; a bracket, the bracket having a first tongue engaged with the upper valve seat; a valve ball located between the lower valve seat and the upper valve seat, the lower valve seat, the valve ball, and the upper valve seat being located within the bracket; and a ring located about the upper valve seat, the ring having a first recessed portion and a first extended portion, the ring having a first ring position in which the first tongue is unobstructed by the first recessed portion and a second ring position in which the first tongue is obstructed by the first extended portion, the ring being rotatable between the first ring position and the second ring position.
Claims13
A valve, comprising:
- a lower valve seat;
- an upper valve seat;
- a bracket comprising at least a first and a second tongue engaged with the upper valve seat;
- a valve ball located between the lower valve seat and the upper valve seat, the lower valve seat, the valve ball, and the upper valve seat being located within the bracket;
- and
- a ring located about the upper valve seat, the ring comprising at least a first and a second recessed portion and at least a first and a second extended portion, the ring having a first ring position in which the tongues are unobstructed by the recessed portions and a second ring position in which the tongues are obstructed by the extended portions, the ring being rotatable between the first ring position and the second ring position.
A method of assembling/disassembling a valve, comprising:
- locating a lower valve seat within a bracket;
- locating a valve ball within the bracket;
- locating an upper valve seat within the bracket;
- locating a ring about the upper valve seat;
- engaging at least a first and a second tongue of the bracket with the upper valve seat through at least a first and a second recessed portion of the ring;
- rotating the ring so that the first tongues of the bracket are obstructed by at least a first and a second extended portion of the ring.
A valve, comprising:
- a lower valve seat;
- an upper valve seat including a side projection extending therefrom, the side projection having a vertical extending channel formed therein;
- a bracket, the bracket comprising a first tongue engaging with the upper valve seat by way of a lip of the tongue resting within the channel of the side projection;
- a valve ball located between the lower valve seat and the upper valve seat, the lower valve seat, the valve ball, and the upper valve seat being located within the bracket;
- and
- wherein (i) a spring biases the lip of the tongue to remain positioned within the channel and (ii) the spring is configured to be compressed sufficiently to allow the lip of the tongue to move above the channel and off of the side projection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.